1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus, such as a laser printer and a digital copier, having a toner cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, in a laser printer or a digital copier, as an example of the image-forming apparatus, a toner cartridge or other consumable part is installed removably and configured replaceably. In order to verify whether or not a toner cartridge installed for replacement is a genuine toner cartridge (hereinafter referred to also as “genuine product”), various image-forming apparatuses have been proposed.
In an image-forming apparatus disclosed in JP 2006-215441 A (claim 1 and FIG. 2), a memory device having an identification code stored therein is installed in the toner cartridge, so that the identification code stored in the memory device is retrieved to verify whether or not the toner cartridge is a genuine product.
Hereupon, the toner cartridge packaged and supplied together with the image-forming apparatus at the time of purchase of the apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “supplied toner cartridge”) is, needless to say, a genuine product, and thus theoretically need not have any memory device, such as a radio frequency identification (RFID), installed therein. However, a hitherto known apparatus always used to have a memory device installed in its supplied toner cartridge as well by necessity, because the verification would produce an erroneous result that the supplied toner cartridge is not a genuine product if it had no memory device installed therein. This would disadvantageously entail unnecessary cost.
It would thus be desirable to provide an image-forming apparatus which properly distinguishes between the genuine toner cartridge and the other toner cartridge (hereinafter referred to also as “non-genuine product”) to exercise control tailored to these two types of toner cartridge, even if the installed toner cartridge is a supplied toner cartridge without any memory device included therein. Against this backdrop, the present invention has been made in an attempt to overcome the disadvantages described above.
Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above.